How to integrate Azure Blob XML File using Azure Data Factory (Pipeline)

Integrate Azure Data Factory (Pipeline) and Azure Blob XML File

Learn how to quickly and efficiently connect Azure Blob XML File with Azure Data Factory (Pipeline) for smooth data access.

Read and write XML files in Azure Blob effortlessly. Streamline, manage, and automate XML files in Blob containers for analytics, reporting, and data pipelines — almost no coding required. You can do it all using the high-performance Azure Blob XML File ODBC Driver for Azure Data Factory (Pipeline) (often referred to as the Azure Blob XML File Connector). We'll walk you through the entire setup.

Ready to dive in? Download the product to jump right in, or follow the step-by-step guide below to see how it works.

Azure Blob XML File ODBC Driver Powering this integration

High performance
Bidirectional
Low-code / No-code
Easy to use

Built on the ZappySys Azure Blob XML Driver, the Azure Blob XML File ODBC Driver is a high-performance, low-code / no-code solution. It enables you to connect to Azure Blob XML File data without any coding right in your SQL Server, or any ODBC/JDBC application. Part of the ODBC PowerPack.

Documentation

Create data source using Azure Blob XML File ODBC Driver

Step-by-step instructions

To get data from Azure Blob XML File using Azure Data Factory (Pipeline), we first need to create an ODBC data source. We will later read this data in Azure Data Factory (Pipeline). Perform these steps:

Download and install ODBC PowerPack (if you haven't already).
Search for odbc and open the ODBC Data Sources (64-bit):
Create a User data source (User DSN) based on the ZappySys Azure Blob XML Driver driver:

ZappySys Azure Blob XML Driver
- Create and use a User DSN if the client application runs under a User Account. This is the ideal option at design time (e.g., when developing in Visual Studio). Use it for both types of applications (64-bit and 32-bit).
- Create and use a System DSN if the client application runs under a System Account (e.g., as a Windows Service). This is usually the required option in a production environment. If your Windows Service is a 32-bit application, you must use the 32-bit ODBC Data Source Administrator to configure this
When deployed to production, Azure Data Factory (Pipeline) runs under a Service Account. Therefore, for the production environment, you must create and use a System DSN.
Create and configure a connection for the Azure Blob storage account.
You can use select your desired single file by clicking [...] path button.

mybucket/dbo.tblNames.xml

dbo.tblNames.xml

----------OR----------
You can also read the multiple files stored in Azure Blob Storage using wildcard pattern supported e.g. dbo.tblNames*.xml.
```
Note: If you want to operation with multiple files then use wild card pattern as below 
(when you use wild card pattern in source path then system will treat target path as folder regardless you end with slash)

mybucket/dbo.tblNames.xml (will read only single .XML file)
mybucket/dbo.tbl*.xml (all files starting with file name)
mybucket/*.xml (all files with .xml Extension and located under folder subfolder)
```
mybucket/dbo.tblNames*.xml

----------OR----------
You can also read the zip and gzip compressed files also without extracting it in using Azure Blob XML Source File Task.

mybucket/dbo.tblNames*.gz
Now select/enter Path expression in Path textbox to extract only specific part of XML string as below ($.value[*] will get content of value attribute from XML document. Value attribute is array of XML documents so we have to use [*] to indicate we want all records of that array)

NOTE: Here, We are using our desired filter, but you need to select your desired filter based on your requirement.
Go to Preview Tab.
Navigate to the Preview Tab and let's explore the different modes available to access the data.
1. --- Using Direct Query ---
  Click on Preview Tab, Select Table from Tables Dropdown and select [value] and click Preview.
2. --- Using Stored Procedure ---
  
  Note : For this you have to Save ODBC Driver configuration and then again reopen to configure same driver. For more information click here.
  Click on the Custom Objects Tab, Click on Add button and select Add Procedure and Enter an appropriate name and Click on OK button to create.
  1. --- Without Parameters ---
    Now Stored Procedure can be created with or without parameters (see example below). If you use parameters then Set default value otherwise it may fail to compilation)
  2. --- With Parameters ---
    
    Note : Here you can use Placeholder with Paramters in Stored Procedure. Example : SELECT * FROM $ WHERE OrderID = '<@OrderID, FUN_TRIM>' or CustId = '<@CustId>' and Total >= '<@Total>'
3. --- Using Virtual Table ---
  
  Note : For this you have to Save ODBC Driver configuration and then again reopen to configure same driver. For more information click here.
  
  ZappySys APi Drivers support flexible Query language so you can override Default Properties you configured on Data Source such as URL, Body. This way you don't have to create multiple Data Sources if you like to read data from multiple EndPoints. However not every application support supplying custom SQL to driver so you can only select Table from list returned from driver.
  
  Many applications like MS Access, Informatica Designer wont give you option to specify custom SQL when you import Objects. In such case Virtual Table is very useful. You can create many Virtual Tables on the same Data Source (e.g. If you have 50 Buckets with slight variations you can create virtual tables with just URL as Parameter setting).
```
vt__Customers
DataPath=mybucket_1/customers.xml

vt__Orders
DataPath=mybucket_2/orders.xml

vt__Products
DataPath=mybucket_3/products.xml
```
  1. Click on the Custom Objects Tab, Click on Add button and select Add Table and Enter an appropriate name and Click on OK button to create.
  2. Once you see Query Builder Window on screen Configure it.
  3. Click on Preview Tab, Select Virtual Table(prefix with vt__) from Tables Dropdown or write SQL query with Virtual Table name and click Preview.
Click OK to finish creating the data source
That's it; we are done. In a few clicks we configured the to Read the Azure Blob XML File data using ZappySys Azure Blob XML File Connector

Read data in Azure Data Factory (ADF) from ODBC datasource (Azure Blob XML File)

Sign in to Azure Portal
- Open your browser and go to: https://portal.azure.com
- Enter your Azure credentials and complete MFA if required.
- After login, go to Data factories.
Under Azure Data Factory Resource - Create or select the Data Factory you want to work with.
Inside the Data Factory resource page, click Launch studio.
Create a New Integration Runtime (Self-Hosted):
- In Azure Data Factory Studio, go to the Manage section (left menu).
- Under Connections, select Integration runtimes.
- Click + New to create a new integration runtime.
Select Azure, Self-Hosted option:
Select Self-Hosted option:
Set a name, we will use OnPremisesRuntime:
Download and install Microsoft Integration Runtime.
Launch Integration Runtime and copy/paste Authentication Key from Integration Runtime configuration in Azure Portal:
After finishing registering the Integration Runtime node, you should see a similar view:
Go back to Azure Portal and finish adding new Integration Runtime. You should see it was successfully added:
Create a New Linked service:
- In the Manage section (left menu).
- Under Connections, select Linked services.
- Click + New to create a new Linked service based on ODBC.
Select ODBC service:
Configure new ODBC service. Use the same DSN name we used in the previous step and copy it to Connection string box:

AzureBlobXmlFileDSN

DSN=AzureBlobXmlFileDSN
For created ODBC service create ODBC-based dataset:
Go to your pipeline and add Copy data connector into the flow. In Source section use OdbcDataset we created as a source dataset:
Then go to Sink section and select a destination/sink dataset. In this example we use precreated AzureBlobStorageDataset which saves data into an Azure Blob:
Finally, run the pipeline and see data being transferred from OdbcDataset to your destination dataset:

Executing SQL queries using Lookup activity

If you need to execute commands in Azure Blob XML File instead of retrieving data, use the Lookup activity for that purpose. Use this approach when you want data to be changed on the Azure Blob XML File side, but you don't need the data on your side (a "fire-and-forget" scenario).

Perform these simple steps to accomplish that:

Go to your pipeline in Azure Data Factory
Find Lookup activity in the Activities pane
Then drag-and-drop the Lookup activity onto your pipeline canvas
Click Settings tab
Select OdbcDataset in the Source dataset field
Finally, enter your SQL query in the Query text box:

SELECT * FROM Orders

Configuring Lookup activity in ADF pipeline to perform a command in Azure Blob XML File

Optional: Centralized data access via ZappySys Data Gateway

In some situations, you may need to provide Azure Blob XML File data access to multiple users or services. Configuring the data source on a Data Gateway creates a single, centralized connection point for this purpose.

This configuration provides two primary advantages:

Centralized data access
The data source is configured once on the gateway, eliminating the need to set it up individually on each user's machine or application. This significantly simplifies the management process.
Centralized access control
Since all connections route through the gateway, access can be governed or revoked from a single location for all users.

	Data Gateway	Local ODBC data source
Simple configuration
Installation	Single machine	Per machine
Connectivity	Local and remote	Local only
Connections limit	Limited by License	Unlimited
Central data access
Central access control
More flexible cost

To achieve this, you must first create a data source in the Data Gateway (server-side) and then create an ODBC data source in Azure Data Factory (Pipeline) (client-side) to connect to it.

Let's not wait and get going!

Create Azure Blob XML File data source in the gateway

In this section we will create a data source for Azure Blob XML File in the Data Gateway. Let's follow these steps to accomplish that:

Search for gateway in the Windows Start Menu and open ZappySys Data Gateway Configuration:
Go to the Users tab and follow these steps to add a Data Gateway user:
- Click the Add button
- In the Login field enter a username, e.g., john
- Then enter a Password
- Check the Is Administrator checkbox
- Click OK to save
Now we are ready to add a data source:
- Click the Add button
- Give the Data source a name (have it handy for later)
- Then select Native - ZappySys Azure Blob XML Driver
- Finally, click OK
AzureBlobXmlFileDSN

ZappySys Azure Blob XML Driver
When the ZappySys Azure Blob XML Driver configuration window opens, go back to ODBC Data Source Administrator where you already have the Azure Blob XML File ODBC data source created and configured, and follow these steps on how to Import data source configuration into the Gateway:
- Open ODBC data source configuration and click Copy settings:
  
  ZappySys Azure Blob XML Driver - Configuration [Version: 2.0.1.10418]
  
  ZappySys Azure Blob XML Driver - Azure Blob XML File
  
  Read and write XML files in Azure Blob effortlessly. Streamline, manage, and automate XML files in Blob containers for analytics, reporting, and data pipelines — almost no coding required.
  
  AzureBlobXmlFileDSN
- The window opens, telling us the connection string was successfully copied to the clipboard:
- Then go to Data Gateway configuration and in data source configuration window click Load settings:
  
  AzureBlobXmlFileDSN
  
  ZappySys Azure Blob XML Driver - Configuration [Version: 2.0.1.10418]
  
  ZappySys Azure Blob XML Driver - Azure Blob XML File
  
  Read and write XML files in Azure Blob effortlessly. Streamline, manage, and automate XML files in Blob containers for analytics, reporting, and data pipelines — almost no coding required.
  
  AzureBlobXmlFileDSN
- Once a window opens, just paste the settings by pressing CTRL+V or by clicking right mouse button and then Paste option.
Once done, go to the Network Settings tab and Add a firewall rule for inbound traffic:
- This will initially allow all inbound traffic.
- Click Edit IP filters to restrict access to specific IP addresses or ranges.
Crucial Step: After creating or modifying the data source, you must:
- Click the Save button to persist your changes.
- Hit Yes when prompted to restart the Data Gateway service.
This ensures all changes are properly applied:

Skipping this step may cause the new settings to fail, preventing you from connecting to the data source.

Create ODBC data source to connect to the gateway

In this part we will create an ODBC data source to connect to the ZappySys Data Gateway from Azure Data Factory (Pipeline). To achieve that, let's perform these steps:

Search for odbc and open the ODBC Data Sources (64-bit):
Create a User data source (User DSN) based on the ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server driver:

ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server

If you don't see the ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server driver in the list, choose a similar version.
Then set a Name for the data source (e.g. Gateway) and the address of the Data Gateway:

ZappySysGatewayDSN

localhost,5000

Make sure you separate the hostname and port with a comma, e.g. localhost,5000.
Proceed with the authentication part:
- Select SQL Server authentication
- In the Login ID field enter the user name you created in the Data Gateway, e.g., john
- Set Password to the one you configured in the Data Gateway
Then set the default database property to AzureBlobXmlFileDSN (the one we used in the Data Gateway):

AzureBlobXmlFileDSN

AzureBlobXmlFileDSN

Make sure to type the data source name manually or copy/paste it directly into the field. Using the dropdown might fail because the Trust server certificate option is not enabled yet (next step).
Continue by checking the Trust server certificate option:
Once you do that, test the connection:
If the connection is successful, everything is good:
Done!

We are ready to move to the final step. Let's do it!

Access data in Azure Data Factory (Pipeline) via the gateway

Finally, we are ready to read data from Azure Blob XML File in Azure Data Factory (Pipeline) via the Data Gateway. Follow these final steps:

Go back to Azure Data Factory (Pipeline).
Create a New Linked service:
- In the Manage section (left menu).
- Under Connections, select Linked services.
- Click + New to create a new Linked service based on ODBC.
Select ODBC service:
Configure new ODBC service. Use the same DSN name we used in the previous step and copy it to Connection string box:

ZappySysGatewayDSN

DSN=ZappySysGatewayDSN
Read the data the same way we discussed at the beginning of this article.
That's it!

Now you can connect to Azure Blob XML File data in Azure Data Factory (Pipeline) via the Data Gateway.

If you are asked for authentication details, use Database authentication, SQL authentication or Basic authentication option and enter the credentials you used when configuring the Data Gateway, e.g. john and your password.

Conclusion

In this article we showed you how to connect to Azure Blob XML File in Azure Data Factory (Pipeline) and integrate data without writing complex code — all of this was powered by Azure Blob XML File ODBC Driver.

Download ODBC PowerPack now or ping us via chat if you have any questions or are looking for a specific feature (you can also reach out to us by submitting a ticket):

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